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New Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as “the world's greatest celebrity”, insisting his influence stretches far beyond football.

Jesus joins Al-Nassr after Pioli exitGushes over Ronaldo's massive influenceBlasts Portugal for underplaying CR7's legacyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Jesus recently admitted that the Portuguese superstar was the primary reason he accepted the Al-Nassr job, having taken over this summer after leaving Al-Hilal. This time, he went on to express his deep admiration for the 40-year-old, criticising Portugal for not fully appreciating the forward’s legacy. He described Ronaldo as “the world’s greatest human figure” and “the world’s greatest celebrity,” insisting his influence extends far beyond the football pitch.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT JORGE JESUS SAID

In a candid appearance on RTP’s , Jesus delivered a passionate tribute to the ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid star, saying: “It's a sporting challenge. Ronaldo is different, even in biological age, which is why he's 40 and still playing. We both think very much alike outside of football. I'm 70, but I don't feel it in my psychological and physical life. Ronaldo is a global figure. We don't know how to value Ronaldo in Portugal. He's the world's greatest human figure. He's the world's greatest celebrity. He's far beyond the world of football."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Jesus' arrival marks a reset moment for Al-Nassr after a frustrating season that ended without silverware and a semi-final AFC Champions League exit to Kawasaki Frontale. The club is banking on his relationship with Ronaldo to lead a revival. Ronaldo was the Saudi Pro League's top scorer with 25 goals as Al-Nassr finished 13 points behind champions Al-Ittihad and five behind Al-Hilal.

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR AL-NASSR?

With Ronaldo’s leadership central to the project, Al-Nassr may look to bolster their squad further in the summer to match Jesus' ambitions. The club’s goal will be to win back the Saudi Pro League title and make a deeper run in continental competition.

Wolverhampton Wanderers know they will enter the 2025/26 season without the services of Matheus Cunha.

The Brazilian is set to join Manchester United in a deal worth £62.5m in the coming weeks and this will leave the Old Gold short in the attacking department.

Cunha was arguably the reason why Wolves remained in the Premier League last season. All good things must come to an end, however, and Vitor Pereira will now be looking to replace the former Atlético Madrid man when the transfer window opens.

Matheus Cunha's Wolves record

Cunha was the club’s biggest attacking threat last season. Not only did he top the scoring charts with 17 goals, while finishing second in the squad for assists with six in all competitions.

Indeed, Cunha registered the most goal involvements (21) in the squad during the Premier League, while also ranking first for big chances created (13), key passes per game (1.8) and successful dribbles per game (1.8).

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

2024/25

36

17

6

2023/24

36

14

8

2022/23

20

2

1

If it weren’t for his contributions in the final third, Wolves might have found themselves in graver danger towards the end of the season, that’s for sure.

Now the onus is on Pereira to find a suitable replacement for the Brazilian talisman. One who can hit the ground running at Molineux at the start of next season.

Could the manager target a player from a fellow Premier League club?

Wolves could land Premier League star as Cunha replacement

Last week, Birmingham World claimed that the Old Gold were considering making a move for James McAtee of Manchester City this summer.

A fee of around £25m appears to be what Pep Guardiola is set to demand for the youngster. Given that Pereira will have money to play with upon Cunha’s sale, this shouldn’t be a problem.

McAtee has already made 48 Premier League appearances throughout his embryonic career, scoring six goals and grabbing three assists.

Despite playing 27 times last term, only nine of these came in the starting XI. If McAtee wishes to fulfill his potential, moving to a club like Wolves will allow him to play every week.

Hailed as a “special player” by Guardiola, the Englishman would certainly offer something extra to the Wolves side next term.

Indeed, when compared to his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, McAtee ranks in the top 1% for goals (0.78) and the top 6% for total shots (3.53) per 90 over the previous 365 days.

If given chances, he will certainly score plenty of goals for Wolves. Furthermore, he also created two big chances and had a goal conversion percentage of 25% in the Premier League during the 2024/25 season.

This was despite averaging just 24 minutes per game for City. He might not be at the same level as Cunha just yet, but the English talent certainly has the tools required to eventually get there one day.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Pereira will need to act swiftly, as there are a few other teams also seeking a move for the City starlet this summer.

Offer made: Wolves submit bid for £42m star who "never puts a foot wrong"

The Old Gold have now made a move for a defender.

ByDominic Lund May 29, 2025

If it has baffled fans that a player of such obvious talent has faltered so often, it has been a frustrating journey for the Sri Lanka batsman himself as well

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Jan-2019Fifth ball of his Test career, no runs yet to his name, Dhananjaya de Silva slinked out of his crease, and with a languid swing of the bat, stroked Steve O’Keefe over the long-off boundary. They were spectacular first runs; it would turn out to be a spectacular first series.Though de Silva made only 24 in that innings, he gathered momentum through the course of Sri Lanka’s whitewash over Australia; a rising ocean swell. His 129 in the third Test was a meeting of grace and grit. The score had been 26 for 5, when he arrived at the crease on the first morning. He faced down Australia’s rampant bowlers until lunch, then set about unfurling his array of velvet shots. From among Sri Lanka’s batsmen, Kusal Mendis had gained the greatest acclaim for his sublime 176 in the first match, but it was de Silva who finished the top scorer across the bowler-dominated series, having hit 325 runs at an average of 65.Roughly two-and-a half years later, de Silva has played 18 further Tests, but has seen his average almost halve. Touted then as a 10,000-run player, partly because of the ease with which he quelled a ferocious Mitchell Starc, there has been a struggle to live up to that early promise. Not that there haven’t been glimpses of brilliance – his second-innings 119 in the pollution-affected game in Delhi, saved that Test, for example. But in between have been: long, dry stretches. Before the Delhi hundred, he had gone 12 innings without a half-century. Last year, he crossed fifty only four times in 19 innings.If it has baffled fans that a player of such obvious talent has faltered so often, it has been a frustrating journey for de Silva himself as well. A multitude of Sri Lanka players have been mismanaged over the past three years – in which three separate coaches have held the reins, and three different selection committees have stood – but de Silva might plausibly claim to have had the toughest run of things. Shunted from position to position in the batting order, he’s played everywhere from No. 3 to No. 9, and has never been persevered with in a single position for more than a handful of innings. Often, he has found himself out of the XI altogether, only to be flung back into a new batting spot whenever an injury or suspension has ruled out one of the others.There has been no sense of long-term strategy; where with the likes of Mendis, Sri Lanka have taken at least some care to not disturb his development, de Silva has essentially been expendable. Where is the gap in the top order? That is where de Silva bats.Dhananjaya de Silva’s ill-advised paddle brought his downfall•Getty ImagesAs Sri Lanka now prepare to play Australia again for the first time since de Silva’s maiden series, events may have conspired to return de Silva to the batting positions he had excelled in two-and-a-half years ago. He didn’t play Sri Lanka’s second Test in New Zealand, because typically, he had had a poor outing at No. 3 in the first Test – having received two outstanding deliveries from Tim Southee – and was dropped in favour of Roshen Silva. But now, with Angelo Mathews’ fragile hamstring having ruled him out, a middle-order spot is open once more. Though he has most frequently batted at No. 3 – having played 11 of his 41 innings there – it is at No. 6 and 7 that de Silva has clearly had the most success, averaging 45.66 and 43 respectively.He is an opener at first-class level for Tamil Union Cricket Club (weirdly, opener is the only real batting position Sri Lanka have not trialled de Silva in, despite having struggled to find a partner for Dimuth Karunaratne over the past two years), but in internationals, particularly overseas, where the new ball presents a much sterner challenge, it is possible de Silva’s batting is too adventurous for him to succeed in the top order. Lower down, where he can expect to face less swing, particularly from this Australia attack that has recently struggled to take wickets with the older ball, de Silva could find himself in the most suitable batting habitat he has enjoyed in some time.If he gets to play from the lower-middle order – and although it seems likely, there is no guarantee – de Silva will hope he can defuse Starc and Nathan Lyon as he had done at home. He’ll know better than anyone else by now that if he wants to keep his spot, results have to be more or less immediate.

Yorkshire fall narrowly short in chase of 215 on high-scoring night at Headingley

ECB Reporters Network05-Jul-2024

Sam Hain made 98 not out from 48 balls•Getty Images

Sam Hain’s stunning 98 off 48 balls set Birmingham Bears on their way to a fifth straight win in the Vitality Blast as they beat Yorkshire in a high-scoring thriller by four runs to take a significant step towards the quarter-finals.Hain crashed eight sixes in an innings more power than poise on an excellent Headingley surface as the Bears amassed 214 for 7.The North Group leaders then wrapped up a seventh win in nine matches, but not without drama. Dawid Malan opened with an excellent 54 and Donovan Ferreira blasted 66 off 32 balls with seven sixes. But George Garton brilliantly defended 11 off the last over and six off the last ball, the Vikings finishing on 210 for 5.Yorkshire lost their fifth match in nine and will see this as a missed opportunity given they needed 18 off the last two overs.Meanwhile, Hain’s fourth fifty of the ongoing campaign took him to the top of the Blast runs chart on 395.Bears captain and opener Alex Davies, who elected to bat, also contributed a brisk 43, though he later left the field with a finger injury sustained whilst keeping wicket.Hain was more powerful than he is known for and hit the majority of his sixes to the leg-side, though not exclusively to the short side over towards the Western Terrace. He left Yorkshire faced with what would have been a club record chase in this format.Vikings, who now have significant work to do for a top-four finish, made the perfect start as left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty bowled Ed Barnard with the fixture’s first ball.Birmingham’s innings kicked into life in the fourth over as Davies took the lion’s share of 24 off Matthew Revis. And after Davies was trapped lbw by a Jordan Thompson yorker – 79 for 3 in the eighth over – Hain, having come in at No. 4, took on the lead role in stunning fashion.Hain hit three leg-side sixes off seam in reaching his fifty off 34 balls on a true pitch with a fast outfield. By that stage, Bears were 141 for 4 in the 15th over.Hain looked nailed on for a second career T20 century as he went into the final over on 98. But he didn’t face another ball.In fact, he watched New Zealander Zak Foulkes whip his first ball as a Bear for six off Conor McKerr over fine leg and over the imposing Howard Stand into the neighbouring rugby ground.Seam bowling allrounder Foulkes continued his excellent start to his short-term overseas spell with the Bears when he had Adam Lyth caught behind with his third ball – 18 for 1 in the second. Davies took the catch but immediately left the field having taken a blow moments before.But, despite the wicket, Yorkshire started nicely thanks to classy Malan and inventive James Wharton. They shared 62 in six overs for the second wicket, the latter reverse sweeping a six off Dan Mousley’s spin in a rapid 29.Like Birmingham had been, Yorkshire were 98 for 3 after 10 overs, with left-arm spinner Danny Briggs having removed Wharton caught at deep midwicket and George Hill bowled.With those dismissals, Vikings’ task was getting tougher. Not that Malan agreed. He lofted Briggs over long-on for six and reached his second fifty of 2024 off 38 balls.He found a partner in ferocious South African Ferreira, and they shared 57 inside six overs for the third wicket before Malan slapped a Briggs full toss to deep midwicket – 155 for 4 in the 16th.But Yorkshire had plenty of batting left, not least Ferreira, who hit four sixes in a five-ball period off Jake Lintott’s spin and Foulkes’ seam. He reached his maiden county fifty off 26 balls.Yorkshire needed 18 off the last two overs, but Ferreira was caught at long-off against Mousley at the start of the penultimate – ultimately the key moment, leaving Vikings 197 for 5. Left-arm quick Garton then expertly closed things out, with Shan Masood failing to hit the final ball for six.

One manager appears very attracted by the prospect of a potential move to Tottenham Hotspur, after the tactician missed out on the Man United job to Ruben Amorim.

Tottenham's list of rumoured managerial targets

Ange Postecoglou could be facing his final few weeks as Spurs boss, according to some reports, as there is a growing belief the Australian could be sacked regardless of their success in Europe.

£195k-per-week Chelsea player holds talks over joining Tottenham via agents

His team are trying to find a new club.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Apr 30, 2025

The Telegraph reported last week that Postecoglou is heading for the Spurs exit door, and it may not even tie in with their Europa League campaign, even if the Lilywhites do end up winning their first piece of major silverware since 2008.

West Ham (away)

May 3rd

Crystal Palace (home)

May 10th

Aston Villa (away)

May 18th

Brighton (home)

May 25th

Chairman Daniel Levy reportedly has numerous candidates under consideration to succeed Postecoglou, including Domestically, Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth), Marco Silva (Fulham), Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace), Thomas Frank (Brentford) and Scott Parker (Burnley), who have all been linked in the last few weeks.

Even Carlo Ancelotti, Jürgen Klopp and Xabi Alonso have been internally discussed as managerial options by Tottenham chiefs, according to GiveMeSport, but the trio may be very hard to tempt to N17, especially as Real Madrid are currently blocking an exit for their head coach.

Spurs may have to temper their expectations when it comes to high-profile coaches of Ancelotti’s ilk, but a readily-available head coach with Champions League and trophy-winning experience comes in the form of ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzić.

The German left Dortmund after guiding them to an unexpected Champions League final last season, where they lost to Real Madrid, and won two major trophies during his time in the Bundesliga.

Terzic was mentioned as a potential target for Spurs back in January, and links have now resurfaced from his homeland.

Edin Terzić "would be immediately open to discussions" with Tottenham

It comes courtesy of newspaper Sport Bild, who report, via Sport Witness, that Terzic “would be immediately open to discussions” with Tottenham if the north Londoners come forward with an offer.

The 59-year-old rejected opportunities at Besiktas, West Ham and AC Milan in the last year, but was open to the Man United job before he ultimately watched Amorim take the reins at Old Trafford instead.

He’s now keen on a potential opening at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he’s hungry to get back into management. Terzic is said to be taking advice from legendary ex-head coaches like Arsène Wenger in preparation for his next job, spending several weeks in Spain, Italy and England recently to watch as many top flight encounters as possible.

MatériaMais Notícias

da doce： Júnior Santos retornou ao Botafogo no dia 31 de março e está próximo de estrear pela segunda vez. O atacante está inscrito na Copa do Brasil e depende apenas de Luís Castro para jogar na partida diante do Ypiranga.

O jogador acabou ficando de fora do jogo diante do Magallanes pela Sul-Americana por conta de um atraso no envio da documentação para Conmebol. Agora, ele está apto para jogar e pode ser uma das opções do setor ofensivo alvinegro em Erechim.

+Que tristeza! Demissão de Vítor Pereira do Flamengo rende enxurrada de memes na web

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasBotafogoGustavo Sauer completa um ano de Botafogo: relembre os altos e baixosBotafogo10/04/2023BotafogoOrganizadas do Botafogo criticam preço de ingressos e armam protesto no Nilton SantosBotafogo10/04/2023BotafogoBotafogo encerra participação no Estadual: relembre jogos, confira números e veja artilheirosBotafogo10/04/2023

da bet7： +Júnior Santos de volta ao Botafogo: relembre os altos e baixos do atacante no clube

Júnior Santos era titular absoluto sob comando de Luís Castro no ano passado. O atacante acabou sendo transferido ao Fortaleza no começo desta temporada e disputou oito jogos pelo Leão. Por ter adquirido um sequência de partidas em 2023, está fisicamente bem para jogar no Glorioso.

+Ypiranga x Botafogo: onde assistir, prováveis escalações e desfalques para terceira fase da Copa do Brasil

O atleta vem treinando normalmente no Espaço Lonier e tem grandes chances de estrear.
Ypiranga e Botafogo se enfrentam nesta quarta-feira, às 21h30, no Colosso da Lagoa, pelo jogo de ida da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil.

Dhoni, du Plessis and the bowlers were exceptional, but lapses by the likes of Watson and Raina proved costly

Shashank Kishore13-May-2019Where did they finish?Ten playoffs in ten seasons, in the final on eight of those occasions, and they fell two runs short of their fourth IPL crown, a record their conquerors – Mumbai Indians – are now proud owners of.What went right?Their bowling were exceptional. Deepak Chahar was impressive with his Powerplay performances, and on the rare occasions that he was taken apart, like in the final, Shardul Thakur put his hand up.With 26 wickets, Imran Tahir proved he was far from finished at 40. He kept the middle overs quiet, and gave MS Dhoni the control he loves to have on the slow Chepauk tracks. Not far below him were Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh, who proved he still has some gas left in the tank at 37.He may have lost the fizz in his delivery and the bounce that once made him as dangerous as Anil Kumble at home, but Harbhajan’s control and guile upfront with the new ball made him Dhoni’s go-to bowler at home.Shane Watson loses his off stump to Sam Curran•BCCIWhat went wrong?The middle order couldn’t deliver. As the tournament progressed, Ambati Rayudu was being reminded of his 3D jibe with every poor outing, Shane Watson kept eating up dot balls in the Powerplay, which reflected in an overall run rate of 6.29 during this passage, the poorest among all sides this season. Suresh Raina was a pale shadow of his former self in the yellow of Chennai, both with the bat and on the field. Because the middle order was misfiring, they had to try and slot in M Vijay and Dhruv Shorey, two top-order batsmen, lower down. This meant Mitchell Santner had to sit out, and this affected team balance.Key numbers The 60 wickets the Super Kings spinners picked up are the most by spinners in a single IPL season. Dhoni’s 245 runs were the third-most in the death overs, after Andre Russell and Hardik Pandya. He struck them at a strike rate of 185.Star performersMS Dhoni was back to being his destructive self with the bat, especially at the death. His wicketkeeping reflexes continued to be lightning and no opponent could relax while he was around. He brought dead games back into the realms of possibility, as Royal Challengers Bangalore found out, and was always one up on the opposition with his on-field tactics. There may be murmurs over his international retirement, but there was plenty to suggest Dhoni the Super King still had enough left in him even if he kept everyone guessing with his “hopefully, yes” quip when asked about his return in 2020.Faf du Plessis reinvented the wheel and was chiefly responsible for driving the batting, allowing Dhoni a hint of breathing space before teeing off. Earlier, du Plessis often had to fight for his position or had to miss out if team balance warranted that. This year, however, he was a constant for most parts and he delivered. On the field, he was among the fast movers that stood out amid a number of “safe fielders”, as Dhoni put it.What needs immediate fix?They need to start looking for Dhoni’s successor and slowly groom some youngsters. The team looked helpless on the two occasions Dhoni missed out because of illness. They may also consider looking for strong young Indian middle-order bats who can also bring in a new dimension to the side’s fielding. This article had earlier mentioned Super Kings were seven-time finalists. This has been corrected.

أعلن البلجيكي يانيك فيريرا، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، بدلاء الفارس الأبيض لمواجهة وادي دجلة بعد قليل في الدوري المصري.

ويلتقي الزمالك مع وادي دجلة مساء اليوم في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً، على استاد السلام، في الجولة الخامسة لمسابقة الدوري الممتاز.

طالع.. ميدو: الزمالك أمامه فرصة العمر.. ويتوعد هؤلاء بعد مباراة وادي دجلة

ويبحث الزمالك عن الفوز اليوم أمام وادي دجلة، من أجل الابتعاد بصدارة جدول ترتيب مسابقة الدوري المصري.

ويحتل الزمالك المركز الثاني في جدول الدوري المصري الممتاز، برصيد 10 نقاط بعد خوض 4 مباريات حتى الآن.

بينما يتواجد فريق وادي دجلة بالمركز الخامس عشر، ولديه 4 نقاط، من تعادل سلبي مع بيراميدز ثم خسارة أمام إنبي وبتروجيت وانتصار وحيد على زد. بدلاء الزمالك أمام وادي دجلة

المهدي سليمان – أحمد فتوح – صلاح مصدق – محمد إسماعيل – محمد السيد – أحمد عبد الرحيم إيشو – أحمد حمدي – آدم كايد وناصر منسي.

Shamim’s 20-ball fifty had helped Rangpur to a challenging score after Saifuddin and Fuller had them in trouble

Mohammad Isam28-Feb-2024Fortune Barishal will meet Comilla Victorians in the BPL final on Friday after trouncing Rangpur Riders by six wickets in the second qualifier at a packed Shere Bangla National Stadium. Mushfiqur Rahim shepherded their 150-run chase with an unbeaten 47 after Mohammad Saifuddin and James Fuller kept Rangpur in check.Only Shamim Hossain’s unbeaten 59 off 24 kept Rangpur in the game before Mushfiqur and Kyle Mayers ensured a mostly risk-free chase for Barishal.It was Mohammad Saifuddin who struck two important blows as early as the second over of the Rangpur innings. He removed Mahedi Hasan with a full, outswinging delivery, before Shakib Al Hasan’s hack across the line took the upper edge with wicketkeeper Mushfiqur pouching both catches safely.Rony Talukdar was caught at the deep square-leg boundary after scratching around for eleven balls, before Nicholas Pooran holed out to Soumya Sarkar running in from long-on off Mehidy Hasan Miraz. James Neesham got out the very next ball to Fuller leaving Rangpur struggling at 48 for five. Fuller then dismissed Mohammad Nabi and Nurul Hasan in the 15th over to press home Barishal’s advantage.Shamim Hossain smacked a 20-ball half-century to lift Rangpur at the death•BPL

At 77 for seven, there was little hope of Rangpur recovering. Shamim had other ideas, though. He played a switch-hit off Mehidy in the 16th over to get himself going, before pasting Obed McCoy for 36 off his last eight balls. Twenty-six of those came in the penultimate over – Shamim first swatted him over deep third with a switch-hit before pulling one over short fine leg for four. He then played the pick-up shot over midwicket before miscuing a scoop over the wicketkeeper’s head for a six. He finished the over with an expansive cover drive that brought up his 20-ball fifty, his first of the season.Abu Hider rocked Barishal’s chase in the fourth over by removing Tamim Iqbal and Mehidy in the space of three balls. Tamim, after hitting the left-arm quick for a four, struck one straight to mid-off. Hider then trapped Mehidy lbw for eight. Soumya and Mushfiqur steadied things with a 47-run third-wicket stand. Soumya struck a six and two fours before Mohammad Nabi had him stumped for 22.Kyle Mayers then hammered 28 off 15 balls that had three sixes and a four. One of those sixes was his famed back-foot punch six, this time off Fazalhaq Farooqi shortly before he holed out. Mayers’ burst brought down Barishal’s chase to less than a run a ball, following which David Miller (22 off 18 balls) and Mushfiqur combined for a 33-run stand to seal the win with nine balls remaining.

A tearful Antony was consoled by former Manchester United team-mate Jadon Sancho after Real Betis’ Conference League final defeat to Chelsea.

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Brazilian forward has been in fine formOld Trafford colleague on target in PolandMixed emotions for pair at final whistleFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Brazil international Antony headed into that contest full of confidence after rediscovering his spark on the back of a winter transfer window loan switch to Spain. Goals and assists have been flowing for the South American forward.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

He saw Betis take the lead on Polish soil against Chelsea, as the Liga outfit sought to claim their first European title, but the Blues came roaring back in the second half to secure a 4-1 win and complete their record-breaking continental trophy collection.

Imago ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Sancho, who made his own move away from Old Trafford at the start of the 2024-25 campaign, was among those on target in what could be his final game for Chelsea – with some big decisions needing to be made on his future.